List of Lebanese Americans explained

Group:	Lebanese Americans
Population:	504,000 (ancestry unknown) 0.16% of total population (2007)^[1]
Popplace:	Michigan, California, New York, Florida, Ohio, Massachusetts, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arizona, New Jersey, Washington
Languages:	American English, Arabic, Aramaic, French, and Armenian
Religions:	Predominantly Christianity (mostly Catholic), with minorities of Islam and Judaism

This is a list of notable individuals born in the United States of Lebanese ancestry and/or people of Lebanese and American dual nationality who live or lived in the United States.

Arts and entertainment

Artists

• Etel Adnan – painter, poet
• Margot Douaihy – writer
• Chawky Frenn – painter and art professor
• Kahlil Gibran – aka Kahlil G. Gibran, artist, sculptor
• Nabil Kanso – painter
• Sam Maloof – woodworker^[2]
• Juman Malouf – costume designer, artist, illustrator, writer, and the romantic partner of film director Wes Anderson.

Beauty pageant contestants

• Rima Fakih – Miss USA 2010^[3]

Entertainment personalities

• Adam Amen – reality star, from TLC program All American Muslim^[4]
• Alexander Koch – actor of Lebanese, Italian and German descent
  • Alyssa Farah Griffin - co-host of ABC’s The View Amy Yasbeck – actress (father was of Lebanese descent)^[5]
• Anissa Jones – child actor (mother was of Lebanese descent)
• Callie Khouri – Oscar-winning screenwriter^[6]
• Casey Kasem – radio personality, American Top 40 franchise; voiceover actor (cartoon series Scooby-Doo, Transformers)^[7]
• Catherine Keener – actress, mother of Lebanese descent^[8]
• Celeste Thorson – actress, model, activist, screenwriter
• Chris Romano – actor, producer, director (father of Lebanese heritage, born Shaheen)
• Cristina Vee – singer and voice actor
• Demián Bichir – Mexican-American film actor of Lebanese heritage
• Dan Jbara – television and film producer
• Danny Thomas – actor
• David Yazbek – musician and composer famous for the Broadway musical The Full Monty
• Diane Rehm – host and executive producer of The Diane Rehm Show on National Public Radio
• Edy Ganem – actress (parents are of Lebanese descent)
• Elie Samaha – film producer
• Emeraude Toubia – actress (father is Lebanese)
• Emile Kuri – Mexican-born American Oscar-winning art director
• Frank Lackteen – actor
• Gregory Jbara – television and film actor
• George Nader – actor, uncle of Michael Nader
• George Noory – radio host (radio program Coast to Coast AM)
• Haaz Sleiman – actor (series Nurse Jackie; film The Visitor)
• Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf – radio and television personality
• James Stacy – film and television actor
• Jamie Farr – actor (sitcom M*A*S*H)
• Jamie Gray Hyder – actress, model (father of Lebanese descent)
• Jane Wiedlin – musician, actress (mother was of Lebanese descent)
• Jenna Dewan – actress (paternal grandfather was of Lebanese descent)
• Kristen Doute – television personality known for Vanderpump Rules
• Joan Alexander – actress known for her role as Lois Lane
• John A. Kuri – author and writer, film and television producer, and director
• John Leguizamo – actor (maternal grandfather was Lebanese)
• Kathy Najimy – actress
• Kerri Kasem – radio and television host; daughter of Casey Kasem
• Khrystyne Haje – actress (sitcom Head of the Class)
• Lili Estefan – Cuban-American television personality, niece of Emilio Estefan
• Marlo Thomas – actress (father was of Lebanese descent)
• Mario Kassar – filmmaker, founder of Carolco Pictures
• Mary Zilba – television personality and singer
• Mayssa Karaa – Grammy-nominated singer
• Mia Khalifa – pornographic actress and adult model
• Michael Ansara – stage, screen, and voice actor (Lebanese born American)
• Michael Nader – actor, All My Children and Dynasty^[6]
• Michael Nouri – actor, film Flashdance^{[6] [9]}
• Mo Gallini – actor (father of Lebanese descent)
• Paola Turbay – Colombian-American actress, model, beauty queen and television presenter
• Paul Anka – singer-songwriter, actor, producer
• Peter Macdissi – film and television actor
• Raya Meddine – actress of Lebanese descent
• Robert Romanus – actor and musician
• Rose Abdoo – comedian, actress
• Rowan Blanchard – actress (father of Lebanese descent)
• Salma Hayek – Mexican-American actress (paternal grandfather was Lebanese)^[10]
• Senta Moses – actress known for her role in Home Alone
• Shannon Elizabeth – actress (father of Lebanese descent)
• Terrence Malick – filmmaker, of part Lebanese descent
• Tom Shadyac – film director (of 3/4 Lebanese descent)^[6]
• Tony Shalhoub – actor (Monk)^[11]
• Tony Thomas – producer (father was of Lebanese descent)
• Vince Vaughn – actor (paternal grandmother was of Lebanese descent)^[12]
• Wentworth Miller – actor, maternal great-grandmother of Lebanese descent
• Yasmeen Fletcher – actress and musician, mother of Lebanese descent
• Yasmine Al Massri – Lebanese-born American actress

Fashion designers

• Elie Saab – fashioner designer
• Joseph Abboud – fashion designer
• Reem Acra – fashion designer
• Norma Kamali – fashion designer

Musicians

• Andrew Bazzi – pop musician^[13]
• Dick Dale – rock guitarist and surf music pioneer
• Emilio Estefan – Cuban-American musician and producer; husband of Gloria Estefan^[14]
• G. E. Smith – lead guitarist in the band Hall & Oates; musical director of Saturday Night Live
• Hamed Sinno – Lebanese-American graphic designer, singer-songwriter of the band Mashrou'Leila
• Jack Barakat – guitarist of the band All Time Low
• Jane Wiedlin – musician, singer-songwriter, and actress; best known as a member of the all-female new wave band The Go-Go's
• John Dolmayan – Lebanese-American of Armenian descent, drummer of band System of a Down
• Kat Dahlia – singer-songwriter, rapper
• Mohammed El-Bakkar – tenor singer, oud player, and conductor
• Nadia Azzi – pianist
• Paul Anka – singer-songwriter (both parents of Lebanese descent)
• Paul Jabara – composer
• Neil Sedaka – pop/rock singer, pianist, composer and record producer
• Ron Affif – jazz guitarist and musician
• Rosalind Elias – opera singer renowned for her time in the Metropolitan Opera
• Serj Tankian – Lebanese-American of Armenian descent, lead singer of band System of a Down
• Soraya – Colombian-American singer^[15]
• Tiffany – singer
• Tino Coury – singer-songwriter and producer
• Tiny Tim – folk singer
• Tyler Joseph – lead singer of Twenty One Pilots

Legal professionals

• Jeanine Pirro – former district attorney of Westchester County, New York
• Eva M. Mack – attorney who worked on the California civil rights case Davis v. Carter

Business

• Alec Gores – entrepreneur
• Caroline Ghosn – entrepreneur
• Charles Elachi – director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Clifford Antone – founder of Antone's blues club in Austin, Texas
• Debra Cafaro – CEO of Ventas Inc., a healthcare real estate investment trust
• Fares D. Noujaim – business executive
• Frédéric Fekkai – French-American hairdresser and founder of Frédéric Fekkai salons and hair products^[16]
• George Joseph – founder of Mercury Insurance Group
• George J. Maloof Jr. – businessman and owner of the Sacramento Monarchs, Sacramento Kings and the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas
• George J. Maloof Sr. – businessman and former owner of the Houston Rockets
• Jacques Nasser – former CEO of Ford Motor Company
• Jean Succar Kuri – businessman
• Joe Jamail – attorney and businessman
• Joe Robbie – attorney and original owner of the Miami Dolphins
• John J. Mack – former CEO of investment bank Morgan Stanley (2005–2009)
• Joseph J. Jacobs – former chairman and founder of the Jacobs Engineering Group
• Madeleine A. Pickens – business executive
• Magid Abraham – market research expert and businessman
• Manuel Moroun – businessman and the owner of the Ambassador Bridge
• Michael Boulos – business executive and partner of Tiffany Trump
• Moose Scheib – founder and CEO of LoanMod.com
• Paul Orfalea – founder of Kinko's
• Richard Rainwater (1944–2015) – investor and philanthropist
• Richard Rashid – founder of Microsoft Research
  • Robert Khuzami – former director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Thomas J. Barrack Jr. – businessman and founder of Colony Capital
• Tony Fadell – product development manager at Apple Inc.
• Tony Tamer – founder and co-CEO of H.I.G. Capital

Education and academics

• Charbel Farhat – Vivian Church Hoff Professor of Aircraft Structures in the School of Engineering and inaugural James and Anna Marie Spilker Chair of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, at Stanford University; Member of the National Academy of Engineering (US); Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK); and Member of the Lebanese Academy of Sciences
• Jacqueline S. Stephen – author, editor, Fulbright alumna, researcher, faculty at Mercer University, Atlanta Georgia USA
• Joseph E. Aoun – President of Northeastern University
• Nafe Katter – professor of theatre, University of Connecticut
• Robert Khayat – Chancellor of the University of Mississippi
• Eugene Nassar – author, literary critic and professor
• Donna Shalala – U.S. Representative from Florida, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and former President of the University of Miami
• Phoebe Stanton – faculty at Johns Hopkins University from 1955 until 1982, art historian, urban planner for the city of Baltimore.^[17]
• Gabriel Hawawini – emeritus professor of finance and former holder of the Henry Grunfeld Chair in Investment Banking at INSEAD

History

• Akram Fouad Khater – professor, author, expert on Lebanese-American studies
• Philip Khuri Hitti – historian of Arab culture and history^[18]

Journalism

• Anthony Shadid – foreign correspondent for The New York Times and earlier The Boston Globe
• Brian Karem – journalist and White House correspondent
• Helen Thomas – journalist who covered every U.S. president from 1961 to 2010
• Jad Abumrad – radio host, composer, and producer, founder and co-host of the syndicated public radio program Radiolab
• Jim Avila – senior correspondent for ABC News
  • Leila Fadel – journalist for National Public Radio Lucie Salhany – first woman to head a broadcast television network in 1993 in the position as Chairman of Fox Broadcasting Company
• Octavia Nasr – former television journalist for CNN
• Paula Faris – journalist (father was of Lebanese descent)
• Raghida Dergham – columnist and senior diplomatic correspondent for the London-based Al Hayat
• Sara Ganim – CNN journalist (father is of Lebanese descent)
• Serena Shim – journalist
• Tamsen Fadal – television journalist
• Walid Phares – security and anti-terrorism expert

Medicine

• Amin J. Barakat – physician, known for the diagnosis of Barakat syndrome
• Charles Sophy – psychiatrist
• Daniel Amen – psychiatrist and author
• George Hatem – "Ma Haide," a founder of the public health system in China
• M. Amin Arnaout – nephrologist and physician-scientist
• Michael DeBakey – heart surgeon, medical innovator
• Paul Nassif – facial plastic surgeon, co-star on the television series Botched

Military

• Alfred Naifeh – U.S. Navy lieutenant posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal in WWII and namesake of a U.S. Navy ship, USS Naifeh (DE-352)
• Ernest "Iron Mike" Massad – U.S. Army major general
• George Joulwan – retired U.S. Army general
• James Jabara – first American jet ace
• John Abizaid – retired general in the United States Army^[19]
• Michael A. Monsoor – U.S. Navy SEAL awarded Medal of Honor after being killed during the Iraq War

Politics

Activists

• Jahaira DeAlto – domestic violence victims and LGBT community activist and advocate^[20]
• Brigitte Gabriel – founder of non-profit political organizations American Congress For Truth and ACT! for America; author; formerly journalist in Israel working for World News^[21]
• Candy Lightner – activist and founder of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
• James Zogby – founder of the Arab-American Institute^[22]
• Jill Kelley – international advocate, socialite, and former diplomat^{[23] [24] [25]}
• John Zogby – pollster; founder of Zogby International

Politicians

• Abraham Kazen – former U.S. representative from Texas
• Alex Azar – former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
• Charles Boustany – former U.S. representative from Louisiana
• Charlie Crist – U.S. representative from Florida and former governor of Florida
• Chris Greeley – former Maine state representative
• Chris John – former U.S. representative from Louisiana
• Chris Sununu – Governor of New Hampshire
• Darin LaHood – Republican representative from Illinois
• Darrell Issa – U.S. representative from California
• David Karem – member of Kentucky Senate from 1976 to 2004
• Debbie Mucarsel-Powell – U.S. representative from Florida
• Donna Shalala – U.S. representative from Florida and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
• Edward M. Gabriel – former U.S. ambassador to Morocco
• Francis Slay – former mayor of Saint Louis
• Garret Graves – U.S. representative from Louisiana
• George A. Kasem – former U.S. representative from California
• George J. Mitchell – former U.S. senator from Maine
• Gwen Graham – former U.S. representative from Florida
• James Abdnor – former U.S. senator and U.S. representative from South Dakota^[26]
• James Abourezk – former U.S. senator from South Dakota
• Jeanine Pirro – politician, judge and television host
• John Baldacci – former governor of Maine
• John E. Sununu – former U.S. senator and U.S. representative from New Hampshire
• John H. Sununu – former White House Chief of Staff; former governor of New Hampshire
• Katcho Achadjian – former California State Assembly member, of Armenian descent
• Manuel Maloof – former U.S. government official and businessman
• Mary Rose Oakar – former U.S. representative from Ohio^[27]
• Nick Rahall – former U.S. representative from West Virginia
• Nico LaHood – Bexar County district attorney, Texas
  • Pat Danner – former U.S. representative from Missouri Philip Habib – former U.S. ambassador and envoy
• Ralph Abraham – U.S. representative from Louisiana
• Ralph Nader – political activist and former U.S. presidential candidate (Green Party)^[28]
• Ray LaHood – former U.S. Transportation Secretary and former U.S. representative from Illinois
• Richard L. Hanna – former U.S. representative from New York
• Richard Ieyoub – former Attorney General of Louisiana
• Selwa Roosevelt – former U.S. government official
• Spencer Abraham – former U.S. senator from Michigan
• Suzanne Haik Terrell – former Louisiana elections commissioner
  • Toby Moffett – former U.S. representative from Connecticut Victor G. Atiyeh – former governor of Oregon^[29]
• Vincent Sheheen – member of the South Carolina senate
• Sam H. Zakhem – member of the Colorado State House of Representatives, Colorado state senator, former U.S. ambassador to Bahrain under Ronald Reagan

Other personalities

• Adele Khoury Graham – educator and former first lady of the State of Florida
• George Noory – radio host of Coast to Coast AM; author; entertainer
• Joseph Farah – author and journalist
• Nassim Nicholas Taleb – best-selling author, risk expert and statistician, university professor, and former trader and business person
• Robert Khuzami, U.S. deputy attorney for Southern District of New York
• Timothy Massad – U.S. Treasury Department official and corporate lawyer
• Jirair Ratevosian – acting chief of staff to the United States Global AIDS Coordinator (2022–23)^[30]
• Victoria Reggie Kennedy – attorney and widow of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy

Sciences

• Anthony Atala – director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
• Charbel Farhat – director, Army High Performance Computing Research Center, Stanford University, and Member of National Academy of Engineering
• Charles Elachi – director of NASA Jet Propulsion Labs
• Doris Daou – NASA astronomer
• Elias Corey – 1990 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry^[31]
• Christa McAuliffe – American teacher and astronaut who was killed on the Space Shuttle Challenger; mother was of partial Lebanese descent
• Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah – technology innovator^{[32] [33]}
• Michael Debakey – doctor and heart surgeon, medical innovator

Sports

Athletes

• Abe Mickal – football player for LSU
• Bobby Rahal – professional car racer and team owner
• Charley Zivic – professional boxer
• Damien Sandow – professional wrestler in the WWE
• David Azzi – professional football player
• Doug Flutie – former professional football player
• Fred Saigh – lawyer; real estate investor; owner of the American professional baseball franchise the St. Louis Cardinals
• Graham Rahal – professional car racer
• Jackson Vroman – former professional basketball player and member of Lebanon's national basketball team (naturalized Lebanese citizen)
• Jeff George – former NFL quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts
• Jim Harrick – former head coach of the University of Georgia Bull Dogs
• Joe Lahoud – former Major League Baseball outfielder
• Joe Vogel – professional basketball player and member of Lebanon's national basketball team
• John Elway – Hall of Fame NFL quarterback for the Denver Broncos
• John Grabow – former Major League Baseball pitcher
• John Jaha – former first baseman in Major League Baseball, played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics
• Johnny Manziel – professional football player
• Jordyn Wieber – Olympic gymnast and gold medallist
• Liz Carmouche – mixed martial artist
  • Matt Freije – ex-NBA player and member of Lebanon national basketball team Matt Kalil – professional football player
• Mikie Mahtook – Major League Baseball outfielder
• Mikie Mahtook – Major League Baseball outfielder
• Patrick Maroon – ice hockey player for the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL
• Paul Rabil – former professional lacrosse player
• Petey Sarron – former featherweight boxing champion
• Rich Kotite – former National Football League player and coach
• Robert Saleh – professional football coach and head coach of the New York Jets
• Robert Watkins – former professional football player; of African-American and Lebanese descent
• Rony Seikaly – former professional basketball player in the NBA and for both the U.S. and Lebanon's national basketball team
• Ryan Kalil – professional football player
• Sabu – professional wrestler, real name Terry Brunk
• Sage Karam – professional car racer
• Samir Bannout – former professional bodybuilder and winner of Mr. Olympia title in 1983
• Skandor Akbar – former professional wrestler
• Soony Saad – professional soccer forward player
• Steve Kerr – retired professional basketball player and current head coach of the Golden State Warriors
• Toni Breidinger – professional race car driver

World Series of Poker champions

• Ihsan "Sammy" Farha – three-time WSOP-bracelet winner
• Jennifer Shahade – two-time United States Women's champion; has the FIDE title of woman grandmaster
• Kassem "Freddy" Deeb – two-time WSOP-bracelet winner
• Joe Hachem – WSOP main event winner and a WPT championship winner (1 of 6 players in the world to win both)

Writers

• Ameen Rihani – author
• D. H. Melhem – poet, novelist, and editor
• Geoff Johns – comic book writer
• Khalil Gibran – author and philosopher^[34]
• Lee Francis – poet
• Mikha'il Na'ima – author and poet
• Nassim Nicholas Taleb – essayist
• Paula Gunn Allen – Native American poet and activist
• Rabih Alameddine – author
• Raymond Khoury – novelist and screenwriter
• Saree Makdisi – author and literary critic
• Stephen Karam – playwright
• Vance Bourjaily – novelist
• William Peter Blatty – writer, screenwriter

See also

• Lebanese Americans
• Lebanon–United States relations
• List of Lebanese people
• List of Lebanese people (diaspora)
• Arab Americans
• Lebanese Canadian

Notes and References

1. Web site: B04003. Total Ancestry Reported. 2007 American Community Survey. U.S. Census Bureau. November 15, 2008.
2. Book: Adamson , Jeremy . The Furniture of Sam Maloof. Sam Maloof. 2. 2001. W. W. Norton & Company. 0-393-73080-8. |owned an orchard in Douma, Lebanon
3. Web site: An Amazing Melting Pot of Religions and Faiths. David. Charles. May 27, 2010. Patheos.com. June 23, 2010.
4. News: ALL AMERICAN MUSLIM: REVIEW. .
5. News: A NIGHT OUT WITH: John Ritter and Amy Yasbeck; Clowning and Autographing . . Linda . Lee . March 9, 2003 . subscription.
6. Web site: Lebanese Americans. 2003–2005. Lebanese Global Information Center.
7. http://www.tomorrowyesterday.com/2005/03/casey_kasem_bor.html TY: Casey Kasem born as Kamal Amin Kasem
8. https://ew.com/article/2006/04/14/being-catherine-keener/ Being Catherine Keener
9. https://books.google.com/books?id=lfFW12cpQOIC&dq=michael+nouri+lebanese&pg=PA184 The Persistence of Whiteness: Race and Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
10. https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/12/1039656167594.htm Drawn From Life
11. ^ Tony Shalhoub at the Internet Movie Database
12. Web site: Vince Vaughn: Company . Vincev.com . May 24, 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060323144740/http://www.vincev.com/int_company.html . March 23, 2006 .
13. Web site: for all u askin... lol i know i look white but i am actually lebanese arab blood babbbbby. bazzi. 2018-01-31. @bazzi. en. 2020-01-07.
14. News: Emilio Estefan. May 2009. Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.
15. http://jellcreative.com/archives/cuerpo/soraya.html Soraya Survivor
16. http://www.lebanonembassyus.org/ProminantLebaneseAmericans.html Prominent Lebanese Americans
17. Web site: Kelly. Jacques. September 26, 2003. Phoebe B. Stanton, 88, advised city for decades on design issues. 2021-03-08. The Baltimore Sun. en-US.
18. Web site: 20 Years Later...Remembering Lebanese American Astronaut Christa McAuliffe. Lebanese Monthly Magazine. February 2006. January 12, 2009. 18, Volume 1, Issue 2. https://web.archive.org/web/20090304125359/http://www.lebanesemonthly.com/magazines/lebanese_monthly_volume-01_issue-02.pdf. March 4, 2009. dead.
19. News: Anne Barnard and Neil Swidey . Commander's background a strength . Boston Globe . March 27, 2003 . December 3, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061031060514/http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/commsande.htm . October 31, 2006 . dead .
20. Web site: 2021-05-04 . Jahaira DeAlto Balenciaga, Local Ballroom Legend And Transgender Advocate, Murdered At 42 . 2023-02-07 . News . en.
21. Web site: Profile: ACT! for America. Anti-Defamation League. 2017-12-01.
22. Book: Shain , Yossi . Marketing the American Creed Abroad: Diasporas in the U.S. and Their Homelands. 122. Cambridge University Press. 1999. 052164531X.
23. News: From Petraeus Scandal, an Apostle for Privacy. The New York Times. 6 January 2014. Steinhauer. Jennifer.
24. News: A booming trade. The Economist. 31 August 2013.
25. Web site: Congressmen have questions for Holder in Jill Kelley leak | tbo.com . 2014-06-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180912120215/https://tbo.com/list/military-news/two-congressmen-have-questions-in-jill-kelley-leak-20140414/ . 2018-09-12 . dead .
26. https://books.google.com/books?id=FTrgh74moswC&dq=James+Abdnor+lebanse&pg=PA152 Politics and Propaganda: Weapons of Mass Seduction
27. http://womenincongress.house.gov/member-profiles/profile.html?intID=190 Women in Congress: Mary Roase Oakar
28. Web site: Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man . 2010-01-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111002211507/http://www.arabdetroit.com/news.php?id=68 . 2011-10-02 . dead .
29. http://www.lebanonembassyus.org/ProminantLebaneseAmericans.html Embassy of Lebanon in Washington: Making a Difference
30. Web site: Arakelian . Leeza . 2021-08-30 . Jirair Ratevosian tapped for US State Department role . 2023-05-28 . The Armenian Weekly . en-US.
31. http://nobelprize.org/chemistry/laureates/1990/corey-autobio.html Elias James Corey – Autobiography
32. http://www.starsofscience.com/phase-2/temps/arab_inventors.asp{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
33. http://publicweb.unimap.edu.my/~ptrpi/v1/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=36&Itemid=248{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
34. http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/gibrn.htm "Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931)"